Viral Murder
by azara3
Summary: A dark story for Ulrich. If you're looking for kisses, look elsewhere, but this is UlrichxYumi. Shorter than intended. Sequel coming soon! R&R, but no flamers, PLEASE!
1. Chapter 1

"Ulrich Stern, please report to my office immediately," Mr. Delmas said over the loudspeaker. Ulrich sighed, halfway through his drawing of a Krab. He was trying to capture its movements when it was almost intimidating, and not stumbling around from him stabbing it through the eye thing. Nowadays, though, he thought it looked more like a target than an eye.

He had just returned from a trip through the past, and was tired. It was a strange battle, too. Nothing attacked the school, or Jeremy, but had deactivated itself before Aelita had gotten to it. Now she was back, passing notes with Jeremy behind him, wondering all the whys. He didn't care so much, because it was less stress on him not to worry about Aelita.

As long as no one was seriously injured, he was alright.

Getting up, and ignoring Mrs. Hertz's amused face and Odd's hoot of laughter, Ulrich headed out the door and prepared to defend his less-than-stellar grades to his principal. They were better than usual, he's been studying, it's not his fault if Mrs. Hertz hasn't heard of the bell curve yet...He was doomed.

And then, slightly less doomed. Yumi was walking his way. He straightened his back a little and held his head higher as she approached. Then scolded himself. _It's only Yumi, _he thought.

"Hey Ulrich," she said, turning to walk with him.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" he asked. And mentally slapped himself. _Hello, Yumi. How are you?_

Yumi's eyebrow raised slightly, then replied, "I could ask you the same question. It's my free period."

"Oh. The principal wants to see me about something."

"About what?"

"Shoot me if I know! It's probably my grades, though," he added dejectedly. Yumi patted his shoulder.

"You should get a tutor," she suggested. "Come by my house tonight about seven. We'll get some damage control done on those grades."

"Will do!" Ulrich said, glad to spend more time with her...and knowing how Odd would take it. "See ya later!"

"Later!" Yumi said, and walked away, leaving Ulrich at the door to the principal's office.

Five minutes later, Ulrich was sitting in a chair opposite Delmas, looking at his drawn face and feeling very uncomfortable indeed. After a small stretch of silence, Delmas got up, picked up a sheet of paper, and turned to Ulrich, pity and regret written clearly across his face.

"Were you close to your parents, Mr. Stern?" he asked.

Baffled, Ulrich looked for his tongue, wondering if this was a trap and he'd get lectured if he spoke wrong.

"Uh, not close, but I still loved them,"he said cautiously. Delmas's face only increased to look more and more pitying, and left Ulrich feeling less and less comfortable. "What's wrong, sir?"

"I got an urgent message from your aunt just a moment ago," he said, just as carefully as Ulrich, just as unsure.

"What happened?"

"Your parents were electrocuted, son. They were on the computer together when and fuse blew. They're dead." He ripped out the message like ripping off a bandage – quick and painful.

"Dead?" The word, a stranger in Ulrich's mouth, soured it.

"Your aunt found something in the printer," Delmas continued. "Would you know this symbol, Stern?" He handed over the paper he held. Shivering, Ulrich turned it over.

It was the eye of XANA.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Ulrich, you okay?" Jeremy asked, looking up from his dinner. Ulrich looked down at Odd eating at his usual supernatural pace, Aelita chewing slowly, looking at Odd with some amusement, and Jeremy's vaguely distracted face. He wanted to tell them, he did.

"Yeah, I'm okay," he said, not looking his friends in the eye. "Delmas isn't happy about my grades, that's all." Feeling cowardly, he pushed his tray to Odd. "It's taken away my appetite, so here, Odd." Odd dug into his mashed potatoes while still chewing rapidly on his beans, happy for the extra dish. Ulrich felt sickened, and not just disgusted. It was all just like before, but it wasn't. He felt like he was drifting, like someone was taking his place, saying things – normal things – that weren't him. He felt separate by the barrier of shock.

"Do you want help studying?" Aelita asked gently. "I'd be glad to help, and so would Jeremy, I'm sure," she added, looking over at Jeremy with affection. Now Ulrich felt positively nauseous at the bittersweet scene playing out before him, without him.

"No, I'm fine," he said absently. "I'm going to see Yumi tonight so she can tutor me." The words were out of his mouth, and felt fine until Odd burst out laughing.

Spraying food across the table, Odd bugled, "You're seeing Yumi tonight? Excellent! It's good to see you showing the initiative, Ulrich, but make sure you get some actual studying done!" He started laughing, loud and hard. Ulrich knew that he should fight back deny something, but he felt drained, empty. He only felt a vague bump of despair when Sissi stood and sashayed her way over to the table, Herb and Nicholas lumbering behind her.

"You're seeing Yumi tonight?"she shrilled. "It's against the rules, and I'll tell Daddy, I will. You will get in so much trouble!"

"Go mind your own business, Sissi," Odd said scathingly.

"No, I don't think I will," Sissi cried. "I think I'll stay right here and make sure you don't do something you regret, Ulrich dear."

"The only thing he regrets is seeing your face!" Odd put in.

"No he doesn't, do you, Ulrich?" she asked, then started, seeing his empty stare. "Ulrich?"

"Hey, Ulrich, buddy, you okay?" Odd asked, now edging Sissi out as he turned to his friend. Ulrich turned, to look at him, but his face was fuzzy, his words jumbled and out-of-place. No, he doesn't do cocaine, where did that come from? He wants to tell Odd that but when he looks up to say something, he sees his father's face.

Retching in grief and shock, Ulrich fell deeply unconscious.

"Will he be okay?" Odd asked, standing by Ulrich's bedside in the infirmary. The nurse, having just finished talking to Delmas, was looking grim and distraught. The grave manner of the adults scared him, but he didn't want to mention it aloud.

"He'll be okay," the nurse said, but didn't look sure enough to Odd. "Did he tell you why he went to the principal's office today?" When Odd told her what Ulrich had said, she sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't say anything more than that if he didn't. It wouldn't be right." She looked sharply at Odd. "Don't be too much of a bother to him, and be as understanding as you can of him. This is a hard time on him."

"Okay." Looking down on his roommate and fellow warrior, he left. Outside, he found Aelita and Jeremy sitting on a bench, both looking intently at Jeremy's laptop.

"No activity on Lyoko to speak of now or in the past few hours," Jeremy informed him.

"And I just got off the phone with Yumi. She knows not to wait up for him," Aelita added.

"And the nurse was no help," Odd said. "She said Ulrich would be alright, but we should be understanding of him right now. And he didn't see Delmas for grades, but she wouldn't tell me what for."

"I didn't think it was for grades," Jeremy said. "If Delmas ambushed people because their grades weren't great, you'd have been first in line."

"I thought about that, too," Aelita said. "And he looked toopale, too shocked, like everything he'd ever known just suddenly...wasn't there."

"Exactly." Odd started pacing. "Did Yumi know anything?"

"She said he was normal enough, if a little quirky."

"So whatever Delmas said must've been what messed up Ulrich." Odd stopped pacing abruptly.

"So I guess that's exactly who I have to see."


	3. Chapter 3

"Yumi! You're gonna be late for school!" Yumi sighed and looked at the clock. She wished she had time to make Ulrich a "Get Well" card, but she didn't want him to worry when she didn't show up. She would just have to look especially nice, be extra fun, and ignore William. He won't like it, she knew, but she would just explain the situation to him later. Besides, they're not actually dating…

Yet…

Throwing on some mascara, which was a step up from the usual rouge that she knew Ulrich would appreciate, Yumi rushed out the door. She slung her bookbag over her shoulder and tried her best not to look worried when she pulled up to the school. He hates it when she worries.

"Hey, guys," she said, smiling when Ulrich looked up from his bench, where he was staring at his knees. Odd was laughing at his own joke, and Aelita and Jeremy were deep in conversation to the side. She chuckled at Ulrich's desperate look, and decided to jump to his rescue.

"Odd, shut up. No one wants to here your corny jokes this early in the morning," she said. Ulrich sent a silent thank you behind Odd's back, but Odd puffed up like a blowfish.

"That one wasn't so corny, was it, Jeremy?" he asked indignantly.

"Um, sorry," Einstein said distractedly. "I didn't hear you."

"Yeah," Aelita added, "we both tend to tune out your jokes." Everyone but Ulrich and Odd laughed, which worried Yumi. Ulrich always laughed at comments at Odd's expense, but now it made him look even more run down.

"Hey, Ulrich," she said, stabbing in the dark, "wanna come spar?" He looked up at her, as if it were he'd never heard of sparring.

"He passed out yesterday," Odd said as if to a little child. "Why would he want to spar?" But Ulrich stood up, a strange look on his face, and nodded. He walked off towards the park, and Yumi followed signaling for Odd to stay behind.

"I think he has had enough of your jokes today," she said shortly. Joining Ulrich, she took a fighting stance, and he mirrored her. After exchanging and dodging a few blows, she stepped back and asked, "What happened yesterday?"

Ulrich lowered his arms and turned away. He was silent for so long, she worried he wouldn't answer. Then finally he turned to her.

"Did Jeremy and Aelita find out what XANA did in that last attack?" he asked. She blinked, stunned, and shook her head. He nodded slowly, then said just as quickly as Delmas, "He killed my parents."

"What?"

"He killed them. They are dead, killed by a blown fuse, with XANA's symbol in the printer. He murdered, Yumi, because he knew it would hurt me. I care about Princess Aelita and everything, but Lyoko is getting more and more dangerous." He looked at her carefully, sorrow and what she now recognized as grief in his eyes. "I'm an orphan because I got involved. What am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know Ulrich," she said. "But if you want to pull out of this fight, which I can't say I would approve of, you might want to tell Jeremy. He will find a way to do it, to help you pull out." When he stayed quiet, she said, "Do you want me to tell them?"

"No, not yet. Let me find out what I want to do first. I don't want anyone influencing my decision." He turned to her, determination in his eyes. "No one knows but you."


	4. Chapter 4

Odd knocked on the door of his principal's office, ready for a lecture. The secretary, sighing, simply ushered him in, already used to his frequent comings and goings, even though she'd only been there a week. After all, she'd heard the rumors about the last secretary. She didn't want to lose her sanity from one too many secretary jokes.

"Dellarobia, in trouble again?" Delmas sighed, pointing to a straight-backed, wooden chair for Odd to sit in.

"No, sir, actually I was worried about Ulrich," Odd said. He rehearsed this speech for about twenty minutes while Ulrich showered, and he wasn't going to screw up because the principal didn't trust him. "I'm sure you know about his fainting yesterday, and today he acts so out of it, and so messed up, I was wondering how I could help. He's my best buddy and my roommate, so I was wondering if I could know what you said to him yesterday. I think whatever you said really upset him."

Delmas stood, and circling around to the front of his desk, exhaled long and slow. Then he said, "Mr. Dellarobia, I'm afraid what I said to Mr. Stern is confidential. If he had wanted you to know, he would have told you himself, wouldn't he?"

"But-"

"No buts, Mr. Dellarobia! I am sure that he acted different today because he was reserving his energy. Though I have no doubt that my news came as a shock, I am also positive that Mr. Stern has ways of handling it. If you truly want to be there for him, you will give him space. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Recognizing a clear dismissal, Odd stood and started to leave.

"Wait," Delmas said, and Odd turned. "Do you know what this is?" And he showed Odd a picture.

XANA's eye.

"Hey, Jeremy," Ulrich said, knocking on his friend's door. "Can I come in?"

"Oh, hey Ulrich," Jeremy said. "Come on in. I'm working on the anti-virus for Aelita, but it's slow going. What's up?"

"I was just talking with Yumi a little while ago, and the conversation led to quitting the team. Do you think it's possible to take someone out of Lyoko's system so that they can forget in return to the pasts and XANA won't target them?"

"Uhhhh..."

"Hypothetically speaking, of course," Ulrich lied.

"Well, I suppose it's possible, but not advisable. I've never really looked for that kind of program in Lyoko's system, or even thought about trying to create one. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it was along the lines of thinking one of us were going to die, and Aelita could never possibly get to the tower in time. So, we take them out of the system, and XANA forgets about them. Problem solved, right?" Ulrich lied further.

"Ulrich, there are two problems with that, and one of them you should know by now," Jeremy explained with slight impatience. "First, XANA will destroy anything in his way. He won't simply forget you because you're no longer a threat. Remember how he treated Jim when Aelita first came? Anyone who knows about Lyoko should be destroyed in his book; you know that. And second, once you were removed from the Supercomputer's memory, you would be unable to return, I think."

"Oh," Ulrich said, thinking it sounded okay to him. "So that's not an option, then."

"At this point, the only option I see is holding off XANA until I can cure Aelita. Then we can shut him down for good," Jeremy said positively. Then drooping, he added, "Even if it takes a while..."

"Thanks, Jeremy," Ulrich said. "I'll call Yumi and tell her what you said."

"You do that," Jeremy said, turning back to his computer to mumble to himself.

Ulrich stepped outside and headed to the bathroom. There, he dialed Yumi's number and waited.

"Hello?"

"Yumi? It's Ulrich. It can be done."

"Hey, Jeremy," Odd said, not bothering to knock. "Can I come in? Thanks."

"Odd, I'm kind of working on something important," Jeremy said. "Can you come back later?"

"No, you'll be working on that computer of yours until dawn. Now turn that wheelie chair of yours around and listen to me," Odd said loudly.

"All right, fine, what?" Jeremy said, turning to face his spikey-haired friend.

"Delmas won't tell me why Ulrich is so messed up, though he did say it surprised him. If he didn't say that, I'd think he was flunking every class. He also said Ulrich had ways of dealing with it, whatever it was."

"So, what, if not grades? Something with Sissi? Is Delmas forcing him on a date with her?"

"I actually thought so, but then he showed me a picture and asked me if I'd seen it," Odd said, still remembering how hard it was to keep his face blank from the first second.

"Well, what was it?" Jeremy prompted.

"It was XANA's eye," Odd replied seriously. "It was as clear as day. I told Delmas it looked familiar at first as a target from my uncle's shooting range, but then said it wasn't."

"But you don't have an uncle," Jeremy pointed out.

"I know that, but Delmas doesn't," Odd pointed out. "I think he was thinking I was thinking about Aelita's dad. You know, because we're cousins? I texted her as soon as I got out of there to make sure she knew the story if Delmas questioned her."

Jeremy stood and started pacing. "It doesn't add up," he said. "If Delmas were XANA, Ulrich would have told us."

"Or would he? He might be possessed or whatever."

"If he's possessed, so are you," Jeremy said. "So are you?"

"No, I'm me," Odd replied. "If you need proof, I'll go get Kiwi. He hates XANA."

"No, it's all right," Jermey reassured him. "So Delmas isn't XANA, Ulrich isn't XANA-fied, is someone Ulrich knows in danger?"

"What do you mean?" Odd asked.

"Ulrich was just in here, asking if it were possible to remove people from the Supercomputer's internal memory, so they don't have to fight XANA anymore," Jeremy explained. "But in order to save someone that way, they would first have to be part of our team, which means Aelita or Yumi."

"It's not Aelita, she texted me back a minute ago."

"Besides, she's connected to Lyoko. She would die without it," Jeremy reasoned.

"Which leaves Yumi, who I just saw talking to William a few minutes ago," Odd said.

"And Ulrich said he talked to her about it, and he couldn't do that if she were in trouble," Jeremy expanded.

"So, no one's in danger, but what if..." Odd trailed off, staring off into space.

"What if what?" Jeremy asked.

"What if Ulrich told Delmas about XANA?" Odd asked, horror on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

Ulrich stretched himself out for a morning run, trying not to wake Odd or Kiwi, trying not to think. Trying not to feel. Unfortuanately, he was unsuccessful in two of the three areas. His friends slept on, but his thoughts and feelings rushed in and out and around his head, each pounding to be heard.

_You're an orphan. You'll never see your parents again. Who cares? Yumi thinks you're a loser. She thinks you're going to give up. Who cares about Yumi? The longer you stay a part of this team, the more danger your friends will be in. You want to stay, but it's just too risky. Who cares about Lyoko? You're an orphan._

As if running from the thoughts pelting his skull, Ulrich ran. He sprinted solidly, paying close attention to his feet pounding on the pavement and leaves and branches, his breath pounding out his lungs, out his mouth, out his mind. His blood through his veins. His sweat down his neck. His tears behind his lids, refusing to fall, even as he gave in and tried to let them.

Yumi.

"Watch out, Ulrich!" she cried, sounding exasperated and amused at the same time. "Watch where you're running! And who runs with their eyes closed anyway?"

Ulrich opened his eyes and saw Yumi, distorted by the film of tears in his eyes, looking at him with curious, concerned eyes. And finally let go.

Yumi blinked as Ulrich started to cry, right there on the ground, and was surprised to realize that she never had seen him cry before. She was even more surprised to notice that she liked him when he cried. That she wanted to help.

Not entirely aware of her motions, she bent down next to Ulrih and held him tight to her, even as great rasping shudders dissolved him into nothing more than a wretch, a shell of the strong warrior she'd come to appreciate. _Heck,_ she thought. _To love._ She loved the shell and held it until it filled with Ulrich again, and continued to hold him until he stirred.

"Better?" she asked quietly, unsure of what to do with this new love.

"A little," he answered, not sure of it even as he said it. All he knew was that she had been there for him, even knowing that he could leave her. That, until that moment, would leave her. With his new clarity, he saw himself, and Yumi without feeling. He saw her love for him, unsure and new, and more surprisingly, a reflected love in his heart.

"Yumi?"

"Hm?"

"I won't leave you behind," he said firmly. "I'm going to stay and take XANA down with you. And he's going to go hard."

"Ulrich?"

"Yes?"

"We should probably tell the others."

"Yeah. I guess we should."

**Authors note: Really short, I know, but I plan to do a sequel to make up for it. I have no idea what's going to happen, except XANA's going down (hard), and there will be a love triangle mixed in with this. It'll be longer, I promise!**


End file.
